Welcome back to the “Meet the Candidates” series, where District 1 supervisorial candidates respond to a question in 100 words or fewer.
Answers are published each week, but we are also archiving each answer on this page for District 1, to make it easier for voters to browse.
Four candidates have filed to run against incumbent District 1 supervisor Connie Chan, who represents the Richmond, Lone Mountain, Golden Gate Park, Lincoln Park and the University of San Francisco.
Last Saturday, Chan also kicked off her re-election campaign. About 200 people attended the event at Argonne Playground, including labor leaders, several elected officials as well as a few dozen Asian elders who have lived in the district for decades.
I’d love to meet district residents and on Tuesday, March 26, I will be in the Richmond at 10 a.m. at Lou’s Cafe, at 5017 Geary Blvd. Join me for coffee. Can’t make that meeting? I’ll be somewhere in the district every week. Check back here to find out where.
The question for this week: How did you vote on the March 5 propositions and why?
All candidates, except the incumbent, Supervisor Chan, voted for Proposition E, which will limit police oversight, and authorize police officers to pursue vehicles and use drones and surveillance cameras. This aligns with District 1 voters: 53.68 percent voted for Proposition E.
Only Chan and Jen Nossokoff, a physician assistant, voted against Proposition F, the measure that will mandate that those who receive benefits be screened for substance use disorder. District 1 voters backed Prop. F, voting 58 percent in favor — exactly in-line with the rest of the city.
Not surprisingly, Chan and her strongest opponent, Marjan Philhour, hold opposite views on Prop. B, C, E and F. Philhour’s votes are the exact match with how most District 1 voters cast their ballots. Note that more than $4 million was poured into pushing those campaigns.
There’s one thing that all candidates can agree on, though: Bring algebra back to 8th grade.
And now, the answers to this week’s question.
Sherman D'Silva
- Job: Owner of a laundromat on Geary Boulevard
- Age: 51
- Residency: Homeowner, living in District 1 since 1973
- Transportation: Driving
- Education: Bachelor's degrees from San Francisco State University
- Languages: English
The ballot is often NOT the place to have these issues decided. Measures are hard to modify once passed and the public often does not have access to the detailed information necessary to make informed decisions
A- NO, bonds are expensive and if it is believed necessary use general fund money
B- NO, Safety is the primary responsibility of government, use general fund money
C- NO, no exceptions
D- YES, Further limits on corruption
E- YES, Police need tools to protect us (even the playing field)
F- YES, Taxpayer money, Taxpayer rules
G- YES, symbolic (choose better school board members)
Jen Nossokoff
- Job: Vice president of a healthcare company and physician assistant
- Age: 38
- Residency: Homeowner, living in District 1 since 2020
- Transportation: Walking, biking
- Education: Bachelor's degree from Colorado State University and master's degree from Samuel Merritt University
- Languages: English
I supported voting "Yes” on Propositions A, C, D, and G to support affordable housing, downtown revitalization, ethical city operations, and educational advancement.
I was a "Soft Yes'' on Proposition E, to cautiously support modern policing methods while considering privacy concerns.
Conversely, I was a "Hard No" on Proposition F, because forcing treatment on individuals with addiction — a disease, not a moral failing — while threatening their welfare benefits contradicts evidence-based medicine principles and jeopardizes the housing security of some of our most vulnerable members of society. See my full piece on Prop F here.
My stance on Proposition B was neutral. I'm … read more here
Marjan Philhour
- Job: Business owner, former advisor and fundraiser to London Breed
- Age: 49
- Residency: Homeowner, born in District 1 and moved back in 2006
- Transportation: Biking, walking, driving and public transportation
- Education: Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Berkeley
- Languages: English
A: Yes: SF is facing a housing shortage. 70 percent of our police officers don’t live in the City.
B: No: Required residents to pay a tax for police officers, which is a service we already pay for.
C: Yes: Important to revive downtown in the wake of a pandemic.
D: Yes: Important to have strong ethics laws.
E: Yes: Must give SFPD the tools they need to succeed.
F: Yes: Gives opportunity to those with substance-use disorder to seek treatment.
G: Yes: Need algebra in 8th grade to ensure academic opportunity for students.
Endorsed by: San Francisco Police Officers Association … read more here
Jeremiah Boehner
- Job: Marketing specialist and U.S. Army veteran
- Age: 39
- Residency: Tenant, living in District 1 since 2006
- Transportation: Driving
- Education: University of San Francisco
- Languages: English
Prop 1: No.
Prop A: No.
Prop B: No, Police staffing shouldn't be tied to special taxes.
Prop C: Yes.
Prop D: No, I wasn't convinced this would do anything to curb corruption and would just create more bureaucracy.
Prop E: Yes, Let the police do their jobs.
Prop F: Yes, Let's stop enabling addiction.
Prop G: Yes, Bring back math.
Connie Chan
- Job: Incumbent District 1 Supervisor
- Age: 45
- Residency: Homeowner, living in District 1 since 2011
- Transportation: Driving and walking
- Education: Bachelor's degree, University of California, Davis
- Languages: English, Cantonese, Mandarin
YES Prop A: Bond to build new affordable housing, and shelter for homeless women who are victims of domestic violence.
YES Prop B: Offers a plan to increase police staffing without cutting other general-fund spending.
NO Prop C: Gives tax breaks to corporate realtors and developers for luxury housing conversions.
YES Prop D: Mandates additional oversight to rein in corruption.
NO Prop E: Weakens police oversight, and implements a car-chase policy that could increase accidents.
NO Prop F: Has been tried before without success, and contains no resources for implementation.
YES Prop G: Supports Algebra in middle school.
Endorsed by: San Francisco Labor Council, Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club, Local 21, Service Employees International Union 1021 ... read more here
Candidates are ordered alphabetically and rotated each week. Answers may be lightly edited for formatting, spelling, and grammar. If you have questions for the candidates, please let us know at junyao@missionlocal.com.
Read the rest of the series here. Illustrations for the series by Neil Ballard.
You can register to vote via the sf.gov website.
